Skandar And The Unicorn Thief

Soar into a breathtaking world of heroes and unicorns as you’ve never seen them before in this fantastical middle grade debut perfect for fans of the Percy Jackson and Eragon series! Skandar Smith has always yearned to leave the Mainland and escape to the secretive Island, where wild unicorns roam free. He’s spent years studying for his Hatchery exam, the annual test that selects a handful of Mainlander thirteen-year-olds to train to become unicorn riders. But on the day of Skandar’s exam, things go horribly wrong, and his hopes are shattered…until a mysterious figure knocks on his door at midnight, bearing a message: the Island is in peril and Skandar must answer its call. Skandar is thrust into a world of epic sky battles, dangerous clashes with wild unicorns, and rumors of a shadowy villain amassing a unicorn army. And the closer Skandar grows to his newfound friends and community of riders, the harder it becomes to keep his secrets—especially when he discovers their lives may all be in graver danger than he ever imagined.

Danger lurks in the mist. Twig and Ben are unicorn riders--guardians whose job it is to keep the last free unicorn herd safe. But a new danger is threatening the beautiful, mysterious creatures of Lonehorn Island. A thief from Terracornus has snuck onto the misty island and stolen Ben's loyal unicorn, Indy. There's only one path for Ben and Twig--straight into the secret, shadowy heart of the island and through the passage to Terracornus. But their rescue mission is unexpectedly complicated by a secret Ben has been hiding. A secret about the Queen of Terracornus who has enslaved all the unicorns of Ben's homeland. A secret that could save them all--or start a war.

Winner of the 2022 Nib Literary Awards. Chosen as a 2021 ‘Book of the Year’ in The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian Book Review. The celebrated, Walkley Award-winning author on how global warming is changing not only our climate but our culture. Beautifully observed, brilliantly argued and deeply felt, these essays show that our emotions, our art, our relationships with the generations around us – all the delicate networks that make us who we are – have already been transformed. In Signs and Wonders, Falconer explores how it feels to live as a reader, a writer, a lover of nature and a mother of small children in an era of profound ecological change. Building on Falconer’s two acclaimed essays, ‘Signs and Wonders’ and the Walkley Award-winning ‘The Opposite of Glamour’, Signs and Wonders is a pioneering examination of how we are changing our culture, language and imaginations along with our climate. Is a mammoth emerging from the permafrost beautiful or terrifying? How is our imagination affected when something that used to be ordinary – like a car windscreen smeared with insects – becomes unimaginable? What can the disappearance of the paragraph from much contemporary writing tell us about what’s happening in the modern mind? Scientists write about a 'great acceleration' in human impact on the natural world. Signs and Wonders shows that we are also in a period of profound cultural acceleration, which is just as dynamic, strange, extreme and, sometimes, beautiful. Ranging from an ‘unnatural’ history of coal to the effect of a large fur seal turning up in the park below her apartment, this book is a searching and poetic examination of the ways we are thinking about how, and why, to live now. ‘Only the finest of writers can hope to convey the mercurial nature of the times we are living though: the sense of slippage; of terror and beauty. Falconer is such a writer. Signs and Wonders is an essential collection.’ Sophie Cunningham, author of City of Trees ‘Delia Falconer is one of the best writers working today, and in Signs and Wonders she demonstrates everything that makes her writing so necessary. Brave, beautiful, and breathtaking in its elegance and intelligence, it is, quite simply, a marvel.’ James Bradley ‘Scintillating. Delia Falconer is at the peak of her powers as a critic, and as an observer of the natural world. Signs and Wonders looks outward from Sydney, and from literature, to trace the contours of our environmental moment.’ Rebecca Giggs, author of Fathoms ‘Exquisite … From reflections on feeding birds, analyses of literary trends, to Falconer’s Covid and fire diaries, the essays are complex, ambitious, rewarding … Delia Falconer’s mesmerising Signs and Wonders helps us to process the disorienting complexity of living in this time of great beauty and loss.’ Jonica Newby, Australian Book Review

**Could you find your perfect man by looking at his book shelf?** 'Frankie, think about it. Literature is your life. You've been trawling Tinder looking for well-read intellectuals, but it's not working. Let's shake things up! Just use your favourite books to find a man.' Frankie Rose is desperate for love. Or a relationship. Or just a date with a semi-normal person. It’s not that she hasn’t tried – Frankie is the queen of online dating. But she has had enough. With the help of her best friend and colleague Cat, Frankie decides to embark on the ultimate dating experiment. Inspired by her surroundings at The Little Brunswick Bookshop where she works, Frankie places her hope in her favourite books to find her the perfect man… Secretly planting copies on trains, trams and buses, Frankie hopes to find the man of her dreams through a mutual love of good books. The only flaw to the plan? That she may never get her books back! But that turns out to be the least of her worries... In between crazy dates and writing them up on her blog, Frankie stumbles upon her perfect man. There's just one problem...Frankie is strictly a Jane Austen kind of woman and Sunny is really into Young Adult. Seriously, obsessively into it... Can Frankie overcome her book snobbery for the man of her dreams? Or will she be left searching the trains for her modern-day Mr Darcy forever? ~*~ Hear what fans are saying about The Book Ninja ~*~ 'Sure to make you smile. Brimming with bookish banter’ ‘The Book Ninja was an absolutely delightful read, full of quirky bookish themes, sweet and yet flawed characters and, of course, a liberal dose of humour that left me giggling throughout. This book warmed my heart, and left me feeling all kinds of warm and fuzzies after I finished it.’ ‘If you're looking for a funny, light-hearted, book-nerdy read, pick this up ASAP’ ‘This was a delightful read that I became completely consumed by and finished in one sitting!’ ‘This was a lot of fun to read because it's so relatable and I loved the whole book aspect of it’ ‘I loved it, better than pizza and I look forward to seeing what Ali Berg and Michelle Kalus come up with next.’ ‘The perfect book to tackle a book-reading slump’ ‘It's wonderful to finally have a book to recommend for fans of The Rosie Project’

A coming-of-age memoir of addiction, ambition and redemption in the high-stakes world of Michelin star kitchens. From reckless drug addict to one of Australia’s top chefs and television stars: MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo's powerful life story will shock and inspire. Jock’s life spiralled out of control when he tried heroin for the first time as a teenager while growing up in 1980s Glasgow. For years he balanced a career as a rising star amongst legendary chefs with a crippling drug addiction that took him down many dark paths. Fired from his job at a Michelin star restaurant in Chester, England, after a foul-mouthed rant, Jock made his way to London looking for work and found himself in front of the legendary Marco Pierre White. He credits White for saving his life, but Jock continued to struggle with addiction in a world of excess, celebrity, and cut-throat ambition. On New Year’s Eve 1999, Jock shot up his last shot of heroin before boarding a plane to Sydney, where he would find passion and new meaning in life in the most unexpected places. There would be more struggles ahead, including two failed marriages, the closure of his prized restaurant during COVID-19, his time on-country, and some very public battles. This is the unforgettable story of an incredible life cut short too soon. Praise for Last Shot 'I’ve known Jock for 25 years. He is not only a great mate but an incredibly talented chef - in Australia and around the world. Last Shot really shows how resilient Jock is and how far he has come in his personal and professional life. I’m inspired by how brave Jock has been for putting this biography out there. I couldn’t put it down. Loved it!’ Matt Moran ‘Zonfrillo climbed his way to the top of the gastronomic ladder only to abdicate his position. He still inspires chefs worldwide.’ Marco Pierre White ‘An amazingly candid story of a prolific but complicated chef who made it back from the brink despite the obstacles, surely one of the best comeback stories there is!’ Gordon Ramsay ‘Jock absolutely lives and breathes his passion for food, which began in childhood. And between the incredible ups and downs of his life that we read about in Last Shot, what really comes through for me is his search for knowledge of Indigenous foods – I so admire how the depth of his learning combined with his amazing skill and creativity has allowed him to celebrate the uniqueness of the cultures he has embraced.’ Maggie Beer AO

21 days without power. 2 brothers on a desperate trek. 72 hours before time runs out... The Lockwood brothers are supposed to be able to survive anything. Their dad, a hardcore believer in self-reliance, has stockpiled enough food and water at their isolated Nevada home to last for months. But when they are robbed of all their supplies during a massive blackout while their dad is out of town, John and Stew must walk 96 miles in the stark desert sun to get help. Along the way, they’re forced to question their dad’s insistence on self-reliance and ask just what it is that we owe to our neighbors, to our kin, and to ourselves. From talented newcomer J. L. Esplin comes this story of survival and determination as two young brothers confront the unpredictability of human nature in the face of desperate circumstances. “A suspense thriller, survival story, and a story of the love between brothers. You'll turn the pages and be surprised again and again.”—Gary D. Schmidt, Newbery Honor Award-winning author of The Wednesday Wars “Fast-paced, believable, funny, and poignant. 96 Miles is a great read from the first sentence to the surprising and satisfying ending. I give Esplin’s debut novel 100%. Don't miss it!”—Roland Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Peak “Readers who enjoy realistic survival stories will not be able to put down Esplin’s debut.... Filled with survival techniques, danger, and overcoming realistic obstacles, this story will have readers turning pages. A great choice for lovers of Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet or Roland Smith’s Peak.”—School Library Journal At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

An exceptional thief… Kyra specializes in nighttime raids, using her sharp senses and uncanny agility to plunder Forge’s wealthiest homes. Then she meets James, the deadly but intriguing Head of the Assassin’s Guild. He has a job for Kyra: infiltrate the impenetrable Palace compound. The pay is good, and the challenge appealing. But as Kyra establishes herself in the Guild, things start to unravel. Her assignments become increasingly violent, demanding more than Kyra is willing to give. And as she grows closer to the darkly attractive James, she can’t shake the feeling that his plans run deeper than he claims. A knight sworn to vengeance… When Tristam’s best friend is killed by Demon Riders—barbarians riding vicious wildcats—he vows to defeat them. The young knight throws himself into his quest, only to find his efforts thwarted by a mysterious and very talented thief. When a twist of fate throws Kyra and Tristam together, they realize that Forge faces greater dangers than either of them had imagined. They must make a choice: continue to fight each other, or work together to unravel the truth. Then, as sinister forces close in, Kyra and Tristam discover a shocking secret that will change their lives forever.

When twelve-year-old Onyeka discovers that she has psychokinetic powers, her mother reveals that she is Solari, part of a secret group of Nigerian mutants that trains at the Academy of the Sun.